Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completed his Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551, on 10 August 1788. The longest and last symphony that he composed, it is regarded by many critics as among the greatest symphonies in classical music. The work is nicknamed the Jupiter Symphony, probably coined by the impresario Johann Peter Salomon. It is not known for certain whether the symphony was ever performed in the composer’s lifetime. According to Otto Erich Deutsch, Mozart was preparing to hold a series of “Concerts in the Casino” around this time in a new casino in the Spiegelgasse owned by Philipp Otto. Mozart even sent a pair of tickets for this series to his friend Michael Puchberg. Historians have not determined whether the concert series was held or was cancelled for lack of interest. However, the new symphony in C was performed at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig in 1789—at least according to its concert programme.
The four movements are arranged in the traditional symphonic form of the Classical era: The symphony typically has a duration of about 33 minutes.
I. Allegro vivace
The opening movement is in sonata form. Its main theme begins with contrasting motifs: a threefold tutti outburst on the fundamental tone (respectively, by an ascending motion leading in a triplet from the dominant tone underneath to the fundamental one), followed by a more lyrical response. This exchange is heard twice and then followed by an extended series of fanfares. What follows is a transitional passage where the two contrasting motifs are expanded and developed. From there, the second theme group begins with a lyrical section in G major which ends suspended on a seventh chord and is followed by a stormy section in C minor. Following a full stop, the expositional coda begins which quotes Mozart’s insertion aria “Un bacio di mano”, K. 541 and then ends the exposition on a series of fanfares. The development begins with a modulation from G major to E♭ major where the insertion-aria theme is then repeated and extensively developed. A false recapitulation then occurs where the movement’s opening theme returns but softly and in F major. The first theme group’s final flourishes then are extensively developed against a chromatically falling bass followed by a restatement of the end of the insertion aria then leading to C major for the true recapitulation. With the exception of the usual key transpositions and some expansion of the minor key sections, the recapitulation proceeds in a regular fashion.
II. Andante cantabile
The second movement, also in sonata form, is a sarabande of the French type in F major (the subdominant key of C major) similar to those found in the keyboard suites of J. S. Bach. This is the only symphonic slow movement of Mozart’s to bear the indication cantabile. The opening melody, played by muted violins, is never allowed to conclude without interruption. After a development section, the recapitulation begins in the subdominant key of B♭ major, though a secondary development section disrupts the recapitulation with rhythmic figures before the return to F.
III. Menuetto: Allegretto – Trio
The third movement, a menuetto marked “allegretto”, is similar to a Ländler, a popular Austrian folk dance form. Midway through the movement, there is a chromatic progression in which sparse imitative textures are presented by the woodwinds (bars 43–51) before the full orchestra returns. In the trio section of the movement, the four-note figure that will form the main theme of the last movement (C–D–F–E) appears prominently (bars 9–12 of the Trio), but on the seventh degree of the A minor scale (G♯–A–C–B), giving it a very different character.
IV. Molto allegro
The last movement is in sonata form. The main theme consists of the first four notes above. Four more themes are introduced in the course of the movement. Mozart develops these themes individually or in combination, as seen in the interplay between the woodwinds in the example below. These five themes are combined in the fugato at the end of the movement.
